Machine-gun



G. HAZELTON. MACHINE GUN. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6; 1919.

Patented May 11,1920;

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

llllll' INVENTOR 1 flazelian, %r%? 1%.. 4

' ATTORNEY 0. HAZELTON.

} MACHINE GUN.

A PPLICATION FILED JAN- 6, 19H?- 1,339,390. Patented May 11, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR G. flagelian.

GEORGE HAZELTON, OF BATTERSEA, LDNDON, ENGLAND.

MACHINE-GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1920.

Application filed January 6, 1919. Serial No. 269,811.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnoncn Haznn'ron, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at R. A. F. Shops, Kirtling street, Battersea, London, S. England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Machine-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machine guns of the Lewis and like types viz., those in which a gas cylinder is employed in connection with a fixed gun barrel whereby part of the pressure of the propellent gases is arranged to operate a piston in the cylinder, the piston in conjunction with a spring effecting reciprocation of parts of the gun.

The present invention has for its object an improved form of firing mechanism particularly adapted for such guns when mounted on aircraft to fire through the propeller path by the operation of mechanism synchronized with the propellers so that the gun is automatically fired through the propeller path without the bullet coming into contact with the blades of the propeller.

According to this invention the firing rod is cooked and the firing spring armed on the forward stroke of the reciprocating parts of the gun, by the firing rod being engaged and held by a sear or equivalent which works in conjunction with a timing or equivalent device connected to or operated by a reciprocating part of the gun, and is directly or indirectly operated by the synchronized mechanism, the aforesaid device being characterized by a moving part of the gun controlling its position in such a way that the operation of the synchronized mechanism can be effective so far as the sear is concerned only when the gun parts are in the position ready for firing, while at any other time the synchronized mechanism though in operation cannot affect the operation of the sear to have any effect on the moving parts of the gun.

The preferred form of timing device consists of a member to which the sear is pivoted, the sear carrying a sleeve in which is mounted a rocking part adapted to be rotated against a return spring or equivalent by a moving part of the gun to bring it into the working position with respect to the impulse member of the synchronized mechanism, whereby at such times as the aforesaid moving part of the gun is not in engagement with the rocking portion, the spring or equivalent keeps it out of the path of the impulse member.

In the preferred form of the invention, the timing device and sear form a unit which can be secured as such to the body of the gun, a slot being made therein to accommodate the operating end of the sear,

A constructional form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings of which Piigure 1 is a part sectional front elevation anc Figs. 2 and 3 part sectional elevations looking forward and aft respectively, with some of the standard parts of the gun omitted.

As illustrated the firing rod 1 and firing spring 2 are contained in a box-like member 3 forming part of or secured to the part usually known as the feed operating stud 1. The firing rod is provided with a head-or enlarged portion 5 at the rear end, and vvith a part thereof shouldered or recessed to engage a sear 6 which is pivoted at 7 on a bracket 8 on the body of the gun and has formed on or connected to it a sleeve 9 in which is mounted a rock shaft or equivalent 10 to turn about its longitudinal axis.

The end of the rock shaft adjacent to the sear is provided with an arm or projection 11 adapted to be engaged by the tripper or like reciprocating part 12 of the synchronized mechanism represented generally by 13. This mechanism is of the oil wave transmission type universally known as the Constantinesco gear.

The shaft 10 is rotated by inclined or cam or like surfaces 14 or equivalent devices from a reciprocating part of the gun such as the cocking handle 15, the required parts becoming engaged to bring the aforesaidarm 11 into position for engagement with the tripper 12 above referred to, only when the gun parts are in position for firing with the firing rod 1 cocked and its spring 2 armed.

A spring is provided to cause the sear and the rock shaft to tend to keep or move to any predetermined position, such for example as the engaging and the off position respectively for the firing rod and the rock shaft.

As shown a spring plunger 16 is used which works on a flat onrthe rockshaft 10, to tend to move it away from the tripper while at the same time exerting a turning moment about the pivot 7 to cause the sear to tend to move inward.through the body of the gun.

The bolt of the gun, the feed operating stud and the box-like member may if desired, be provided with a guide way or rubbing surface to provide an easy path for the sear to engage.

On the gun being fired the normal. operations on the recoil or backward stroke take place, but on the return or forward stroke under the action of the main spring of the gun, the bolt and box-like member 3 rub over the engaging end of the sear 6 until the said end abuts against the correspondingly shaped portion of the head of the firing rod 1 whereupon further movement of the firing rod is arrested, while the bolt and box-like member moves on, thus arming the firing spring 2, a suitable abutment being provided on the firing rod for this purpose. At about this time the incline or cam device 14: working in conjunction with the cooking handle or other part 15 employed for the purpose effects the rotation ofthe rock shaft 10 to bring the projecting arm 11 into register with the tripper 12 of the synchronized mechanism which tripper 011 being operated rocks the sear about its pivot 7 to release the sear from the head of the firing rod, to allow the same to be driven by the spring on to the detonator of the cartridge.

It .is to be understood that although one practical form has been described above, the design and general arrangement of the parts may be varied considerably without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is e 1. A synchronized firing device for aircraft machine guns of the kind referred to, comprising a sear pivotally mounted, a sleeve in fixed relationship to the sear, a rocking shaft mounted within the said sleeve having a cam element at one end and a tripper arm at the other, a reciprocating part such as the cocking handle to engage with the cam element, a spring plunger adapted to give the return oscillation to both sear and rocking shaft, and a tripper reciprocating in phase with the propeller to engage with the tripper arm on the rocking shaft.

2. A synchronized firing device to claim 1 in which the scar and the sleeve in fixed relationship thereto are pivotally mounted upon a bracket detachably fastened to the gun, and the spring plunger is lodged within the said bracket and adapted to give the return oscillation to. both the sear and rocking shaft, the said mechanism being thereby formed into a unit which may be detachably fastened to the gun.

3. In a synchronized firing device according to claim 1, a box-like member at the end of the feed operating stud of the gun adapted to contain the firing rod and spring.

4. In a synchronized firing device according to claim 2, a box like member at the end of the feed operating stud of the gun adapted to contain the firing rod and spring.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE, HAZELTON.

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